Contested knowledges, contested responsibilities: The EU Water Framework Directive and salmon farming in Norway

Abstract

Movik, S. & Stokke, K.B. 2015. Contested knowledges, contested responsibilities: The EU Water Framework Directive and salmon farming in Norway. Norsk Geografisk Tidsskrift–Norwegian Journal of Geography Vol. 00, 00–00. ISSN 0029-1951

Norway has signed the European Union's Water Framework Directive (WFD), according to which all water bodies are expected to have ‘good ecological status’ by 2021. An ongoing debate about the environmental impacts of aquaculture is related particularly to the impact on wild salmon of the spread of salmon lice and escaped farmed fish. The authors examine the key arguments concerning the environmental impact of salmon farming, and how knowledge is produced and marshalled in the dispute. How does the framing of knowledge and authority affect the apportioning of responsibility for taking appropriate measures to mitigate negative effects? The questions are addressed by drawing on insights from critical political ecology and work on governance scales, and by analysing relevant documents and ‘grey’ literature in combination with in-depth, semi-structured interviews with key actors. The authors find that there are biases within the research environments that tend to reinforce existing divisions between the environmental authorities and fisheries authorities. Disagreements about the appropriate scientific approaches to assessing sustainability are a barrier to co-operation and planning, and the consensus needed to implement appropriate measures will depend on clarification at the national level.

Keywords:

• aquaculture
• EU Water Framework Directive
• Norway

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the WAPABAT project team for providing the opportunity to write this paper. Thanks are also due to Tor A. Benjaminsen, Jørund Aasetre, and all who participated in the workshop ‘Bringing Political Ecology Home’, held in Trondheim on 4–5 December 2013. Particular thanks are due to Ragnhild Overå for constructive comments on the draft manuscript, and to three anonymous reviewers for constructive comments and suggestions.

Notes

1. With the instatement of a new government, several ministries changed names as of 1 January 2014. The Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs was renamed the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries. The Ministry of the Environment was renamed the Ministry of Climate and Environment. For the sake of consistency and to avoid confusion, we use the new names throughout the article.

2. The Environment Agency (Miljødirektoratet) was established on 1 July 2013 as a result of the merger of the Norwegian Climate and Pollution Agency (Klima- og foruresningstilsynet, KLIF) and the Norwegian Directorate for Nature Management (Direktoratet for Naturforvaltning, DN).

3. County (Fylkeskommune) refers to the county administration responsible to an elected County Council, while County Governor's Office (Fylkesmann) refers to the administration of the County Governor, who is the central government's official representative in each county.

4. Christensen (2013) labels sea lice as the freshwater parasite Gyrodactylus salaris rather than as Lepeophtheirus salmonis.

5. W. Grund, F. Hüesker, N. Jager, T. Moss, and J. Newig, unpublished manuscript titled ‘Analysing scale in environmental governance: The case of water governance in Europe’.

6. All quotations from Norwegian sources have been translated into English by the authors of this article.

7. There is some ongoing activity in relation to the designation of Ytre Sognefjord as a National Salmon Fjord (Nasjonal laksefjord), in which the Institute of Marine Research is involved. However, the institute's studies are only conducted during the summer, and it is of importance to get insights into what happens during the winter season as well.

8. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries (Nærings- og fiskeridepartementet) was renamed in January 2014. Before this it was known as the Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs (Fiskeri- og kystdepartementet).